On Nov. 15, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) opened the Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) Public Observation test phase for the secured signal.
The OSNMA is a freely accessible data-authentication function for the Galileo Open Service worldwide. OSNMA provides receivers a first-level of protection against spoofing the Galileo Open Service, assuming that the receiver meets requirements. This is realized by transmitting authentication-specific data in previously reserved fields of the E1 I/NAV message.
Galileo OSNMA improves confidence on the user side by enabling the user to verify the authenticity of the Galileo navigation parameters required for positioning, navigation and timing. In particular, it will allow the user to authenticate geolocation information of the Open Service:
- the ephemerides and clock corrections
- the ionospheric corrections
- the status flags
- the Broadcast Group Delay
- the GST to UTC parameters
TeleOrbit quickly authenticates with Goose
In late 2020 and the first half of 2021, TeleOrbit GmbH and Fraunhofer IIS worked on a project to implement the Galileo OSNMA capabilities onto its powerful and compact GNSS receiver lab “Goose”. This project, completed in May, successfully authenticated simulated OSNMA signals.
For the new phase, the team at Fraunhofer IIS adapted the setup to the newly published Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and receiver guidelines, and was able to authenticate the live signal on Nov. 16.
The screenshots below show snapshots of the Goose user interface with enabled OSNMA and successfully authenticated satellites, indicated by the green circle surrounding the blue Galileo satellites in the skyplot.
GPS + Galileo authenticated Galileo PVT. (Image: Fraunhofer IIS)
Galileo-only authenticated PVT. (Image: Fraunhofer IIS)
Access Now Available
Interested users can sign up for this OSNMA test phase on GSC website. The site provides access to all corresponding documents and information, including the current ICD, receiver guidelines, OSNMA public key and Merkle Tree Root — both needed for the authentication process.
To learn about using GOOSE for your own tests and projects, contact sales@teleorbit.eu.